Gunboat (Red Alert 1)
|req= |hotkey= |groundattack=*25 (AP) (ground) *80 (AP) (sea) |airattack= |cooldown=60 |armor= |airspeed= |landspeed= |seaspeed=9 |range=*5.5 (ground) *5 (sea) |sight=7 |parent= |addons= |evolvesto= |power= |produce= |allows= |research= |ability=Detects submarines |structure= |techlvl=3 |tier=1 }} During the early stages of the Second World War, the Allies relied on Gunboats to fill the need for a small, versatile vessel whose main role is reconnaissance and support of larger, more cumbersome vessels. Background Faced with the impending invasion, the Allied navy, a navy that consists of many nations with varied capability, require an ad interim design quickly to support the resistance effort. The gunboat was the resulting stopgap solution as it was the most inexpensive unit that could engage Soviet submarines. The gunboat is not the Allies' main naval unit; it served as the Allies' interim response to a Soviet naval assault until Destroyers could arrive on the scene. Gunboats were deployed to patrol nearby waters for Soviet submarines or providing limited naval fire support. Legacy Tiberium Universe The gunboats of the Second World War became obsolete, but the concept of a fast, lightweight attack vessel lived on through various successor models, and modernized versions were used by the Global Defense Initiative during the First Tiberium War to provide fire support to their ground forces operating close to shore. Unlike the cannon-armed Allied versions, the GDI Gunboat is equipped with powerful missile launchers for rapid destruction of shore targets. It also has two rear-mounted .50 caliber machine guns for local defence, although these are not used in-game. Red Alert Universe Gunboat, along with its medium counterpart were replaced by the new Destroyer of the Third World War. Game unit The gunboat's weapon is a bow-mounted 2 inch (50.8 mm) gun and a single depth charge launcher. It is lightly armoured and can match Soviet submarines only in superior numbers. The 2-inch gun is of limited use for shore bombardment due to its short range, which puts the gunboat at risk of being fired upon from land units such as tanks. The gunboat is the first tier of the Allied Navy, being inexpensive and available early in the game. However it is weak and of limited capability. A gunboat will easily lose a one to one engagement against a Soviet Submarine, however Allied commanders can take advantage of the gunboat's lower cost to enjoy numerical superiority over submarines. Allied commanders will switch to destroyers once they become available, which while being more expensive and slower, are stronger and more powerful. Destroyers are also much more versatile, as their anti-surface capability has a much longer range, as well as having anti-aircraft capabilities. Behind The Scenes The unit bears a vague resemblance to the Osprey 55-class gunboat, albeit smaller and simpler. Several types of real-life WWII-era vessels, such as the German S-Boot and British Fairmile D classes, could also have been utilized as Gunboats during this time. See Also * Gunboat (Tiberian Dawn) - The GDI First Tiberium War gunboat. * Submarine (Red Alert 1) Assessment Pros *Effective against infantry and light ground vehicles *Can detect and attack submarines with it's depth charge *Very fast. *Cheap ($500) to deploy in large groups. *Good at hit-and-run tactics *Powerful in numbers. *A cheaper alternative to the Cruiser when attacking targets close to shore *Fast to produce. Cons *Weak armor *Submarines can take them out on a duel. *Defenseless against aircraft *Short attack range. Gallery RA1_Gunboat_French_Icons.gif|Icon with French text RA1_Gunboat_Russian_Icons.gif|Icon with Russian text Category:Red Alert 1 ships Category:Red Alert 1 Allied Arsenal